Best Graduateschool Podcasts (2024)

1
This Grad Student Took Control of Her Finances to Shift Her Income Sources 34:22

4d ago34:22

34:22

In this episode, Emily interviews Fern Wolburg Martinez, a 4th-year PhD student in Industrial/Organizational Psychology at Portland State University. Fern shares the pros and cons of the various income sources she's used for her graduate work: a teaching assistantship, a fellowship, student loans, side jobs, and social safety net programs. When Fer…

1
Addressing Fellowship Tax Pain Points through Education, Resources, and Advocacy 43:21

18d ago43:21

43:21

In this episode, Emily interviews Jack Mao, the founder of Tax Fellows, a nonprofit organization that prepares pro bono tax returns for Stanford students. Tax Fellows primarily serves first-generation, low-income undergraduate and graduate students, and has a special focus on the tax implications of receiving scholarships and fellowships, such as t…

1
America's Graduate Adviser: A Conversation with Leonard Cassuto 36:47

1M ago36:47

36:47

Join Leonard Cassuto (author of Academic Writing as if Readers Matter (forthcoming), The New PhD and The Graduate School Mess, among many other books) and Ph.D. student Hellen Wainaina to discuss graduate education's past, present, and future. Their wide-ranging conversation touches on graduate student-centered graduate education, mentorship, acade…

1
This PhD's Path to FIRE Has Evolved with Lifestyle Design and Having Children 47:54

1M ago47:54

47:54

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Amanda, a prior podcast guest who is on the path to FIRE. Since our last interview, Amanda and her husband moved to the Twin Cities and had two children. Amanda recounts the exciting start to her FIRE journey when she was a postdoc and contrasts it with the boring middle of pursuing FIRE now with long-term jobs…

1
Can You Earn Money from Publishing a Scholarly Book? 40:31

2M ago40:31

40:31

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Laura Portwood-Stacer, a developmental editor with Manuscript Works specializing in authors publishing with scholarly presses. Laura has personally published two books with university presses and has a third under contract and has worked with hundreds of other authors. Laura describes why a prospective author w…

1
How This PhD Student and Her Higher-Earning Partner Manage Joint and Separate Finances 35:15

2M ago35:15

35:15

In this episode, Emily interviews Tram Pham, a 3rd-year PhD student in economics at Uppsala University in Sweden. Tram describes the financial aspect of her relationship with her boyfriend, Markus, from discussing money on their first date to how they structure their joint and separate accounts now that they live together. Even though Tram is the l…

1
Navigating Grad Student Finances While Undocumented 43:54

3M ago43:54

43:54

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Ana Romero Morales, a counseling psychology PhD and a financial coach through Brewing Dinero. Ana specializes in undocumented people and mix-documentation families, having gone through undergrad and graduate school as an undocumented student herself. Emily and Ana deep-dive into how documentation status affects…

1
A Political Economist Explores How to Respond to the Financial Pressures on Graduate Students 51:45

3M ago51:45

51:45

In this episode, Emily interviews Michael Dedmon, a PhD candidate in Political Science at Syracuse University and the Director of Research at the National Endowment for Financial Education. Michael's research focus is in political economy, particularly in how governments respond to economic crises like the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.…

1
Why and How I Started Personal Finance for PhDs 29:09

4M ago29:09

29:09

In this episode, Emily narrates the origin story of her business, Personal Finance for PhDs, which started as a personal interest when she graduated from college. She also shares why she has devoted her career to financial education for PhDs and the behind-the-scenes business operations. This episode is for you if you are an avid follower of Person…

1
Finding Fulfillment in France: A Conversation with Natalie Berkman *18 35:15

4M ago35:15

35:15

Join Natalie Berkman *18 and Ph.D. student Hellen Wainaina for an engaging and personal conversation about how priorities can shift during graduate school, and how a supposed plan "B" can turn out to be a plan A.By GradFUTURES

1
Catching Up with Prior Guests: 2023 Edition 28:52

4M ago28:52

28:52

Emily published the first episode of this podcast in July 2018. This is the 200th episode, and over the last five and a half years, the podcast has featured 252 unique voices in addition to Emily’s. This last episode of 2023 catches up with the guests from Seasons 1 through 11. The guests were invited to submit short audio updates on how their live…

1
This Grad Student-Parent Relied on University and State Benefits During a Tough Financial Period 43:22

5M ago43:22

43:22

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Laura Farrell-Wortman about her experience as a graduate student-parent at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Laura started her PhD when her daughter was an infant, so she was very intentional about choosing a PhD program that offered strong health insurance and a childcare subsidy. However, with a $9k/year s…

1
Expert-Level Frugality from ChatGPT and Grad Students Like You 49:28

5M ago49:28

49:28

In this episode, Emily features contributions from the PhD community and from ChatGPT around the topic of frugal tips. Grad students in particular are typically open to exercising frugality to decrease their expenses. Emily talks through her framework on how to decide which area of spending to target first with frugality. She then demonstrates how …

1
This Grad Student's Podcast Expands Beyond Her Dissertation Topic 29:34

6M ago29:34

29:34

In this episode, Emily interviews Alexandria Miller, and 5th-year PhD student in Africana Studies at Brown University. In 2021, Alexandria started a podcast, Strictly Facts: A Guide to Caribbean History and Culture, to further her vision for educational equity. Alexandria participated in a business incubator program at Brown and joined a Caribbean …

1
SIT's VP of Marketing & Communications Nara de Sa Guimaraes on The Washington Report 30:00

6M ago30:00

30:00

SIT's VP of Marketing & Communications Nara de Sa Guimaraes joined Stevie Bridgewater on The Washington Report to talk about the School for International Training's vast portfolio of programs in Africa. SIT's Africa programs in sustainability, diplomacy, global health, science, conservation, and more will transform your worldview and add invaluable…

1
How This Grad Student-Parent Managed Her Money and Time in the Bay Area 45:34

6M ago45:34

45:34

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Ilana Horwitz, an assistant professor of Jewish Studies and Sociology at Tulane University. Ilana started her PhD at Stanford when her first child was nine months old, and she had a second child after her third year. Emily and Ilana discuss the frugal tactics and time management strategies that she employed whi…

1
This PhD-Prepared Nurse Managed a Night Shift Side Hustle Despite It Being Frowned Upon 35:46

7M ago35:46

35:46

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Jacqueline Nikpour, who holds a PhD in nursing from Duke University and is currently a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania. Jackie side hustled with occasional nursing per diem jobs to supplement her stipend during grad school, but her side job also conferred unexpected benefits to her dissertation and ca…

1
New Philosophies for Graduate Education: A Conversation with Barry Lam *07 34:56

7M ago34:56

34:56

How might we imagine the tenure track in ways that account both for individual preference and for societal impact? In what ways is the landscape for Ph.D.s changing, and how might graduate students best navigate this changing landscape? Join Barry Lam *07 and Ph.D. student Hellen Wainaina for an engaging and personal conversation about the ways the…

1
How This Grad Student Budgeted for Having Her First Child 46:47

8M ago46:47

46:47

In this episode, Emily interviews Madeline Hebert, a rising second-year PhD student in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Connecticut. Madeline's household has an irregular income; her assistantship stipend varies between the academic year and the summer and her husband is paid hourly throughout the year with a variable sche…

1
Financial Advice from PhD Career Development and Financial Wellness Professionals 40:48

8M ago40:48

40:48

In this episode, Emily shares the microinterviews she recorded at two higher education conferences this past summer. The conference attendees, virtually all of whom work at universities and most of whom have PhDs themselves, responded to this prompt: "What piece of financial advice are you glad you followed or do you wish you had followed as a grad…

1
University-Level Policy Ideas to Improve the Financial Lives of Graduate Students and Postdocs 28:25

8M ago28:25

28:25

In this episode, Emily shares the microinterviews she recorded at two higher education conferences this past summer. The conference attendees, virtually all of whom work at universities and most of whom have PhDs themselves, responded to this prompt: "What policy at your current university or one you worked at or attended in the past would you chan…

1
Unionization and Individual Negotiation to Improve Graduate Student Stipends and Benefits 36:25

9M ago36:25

36:25

In this episode, Emily shares first-person stories of graduate students enjoying improved stipends and benefits thanks to prior negotiation. The first half of the episode includes the experiences of four graduate students with their unions or when taking part in unionization movements. The second half of the episode includes four individual negotia…

1
Behind the Scenes at the Graduate Career Consortium 2023 Annual Meeting 59:24

9M ago59:24

59:24

In this episode, Emily opens up the audio diary she recorded while attending the 2023 annual meeting of the Graduate Career Consortium (GCC) as a sponsor. GCC is attended by university staff members who provide career and professional development services and programming to master's students, PhD students, and postdocs. Emily shares the insights sh…

1
Why and How These Grad Students Purchased Homes 26:44

10M ago26:44

26:44

In this episode, Emily presents first-person stories from grad students who bought homes during grad school. The volunteers were simply asked to share their stories of home ownership, whatever they may be. You'll hear from three volunteers throughout this episode, both on how they purchased their homes but also what's happened since then, the benef…

1
Why and How These Graduate Students Side Hustle 47:25

10M ago47:25

47:25

In this episode, Emily presents first-person stories from grad students who side hustle. The volunteers were asked this set of questions: What is your motivation for having a side hustle? What is your side hustle? What are its benefits and detriments? How much do you earn through your side hustle? If someone listening wants to pursue this side hust…

1
This PhD Student Budgets Manually and Dynamically 37:14

11M ago37:14

37:14

In this episode, Emily interviews Ariel Floro, a second-year PhD student at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in northern California. Ariel details her budget, from the mechanics of her system to the emotional benefits she experiences. Ariel started budgeting after finishing her bachelor's while she worked as a research associate, and she wa…

1
The Motivation and Strategy Behind Biology PhD Stipends 35:57

11M ago35:57

35:57

In this episode, Emily interviews Shelly Gaynor, a fifth-year PhD candidate in botany at the University of Florida. After learning of the possibility of a stipend decrease in her department last year, Shelly dedicated herself to raising the stipend in her department at UF. She and a partner even launched an app to collect stipend information from o…

1
Budgeting for the First Year of Grad School Even with Financial Anxiety 43:54

1y ago43:54

43:54

In this episode, Emily interviews Georga-Kay Whyte, a first-year graduate student in history at Brown. Georga-Kay is a first-generation college student from Jamaica who grew up with financial insecurity, which spurred her to set a high bar for the financial support she expected from her graduate program. Georga-Kay was just as forward-thinking as s…

1
Student Loan Deferment Shouldn't Be Your Default 53:52

1y ago53:52

53:52

In this episode, Emily interviews Meagan McGuire, a Certified Student Loan Professional and consultant with Student Loan Planner. Meagan goes over all the pertinent terms of the upcoming modified REPAYE plan, which is expected to join the other options for income-driven repayment plans in 2023. The relatively more generous terms of the modified REP…

1
This PhD's Social Mission Pulled Her from Academia into Entrepreneurship 39:52

1y ago39:52

39:52

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Rasheda Weaver, the founder of the Weaver Social Enterprise Directory. Rasheda studied and taught social entrepreneurship as a graduate student and faculty member and along the way launched her own social enterprise out of her research and work with social entrepreneurs. As her business grew, she felt pulled to…

1
How This Grad Student Shifted Her Student Loan Strategy through the Pandemic 37:50

1y ago37:50

37:50

In this episode, Emily interviews Lexi Jones, a 4th-year PhD student in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering. Prior to Lexi entering graduate school in summer 2019, she resolved to pay down her undergraduate student loan debt first and fo…

1
This Grad Student Deferred Her Acceptance to Work on Her Finances 35:14

1y ago35:14

35:14

In this episode, Emily interviews Brittany Trinh, a PhD student in chemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Brittany originally applied to grad school in fall 2018, but she elected to defer her acceptance for two years in favor of taking a job. Brittany shares how she developed her finances, side business, and professional life in the 2.5 …

1
The Tax and Retirement Effects of Receiving Fellowship Funding 40:03

1y ago40:03

40:03

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Jamie Lahvic about her experience being funded by fellowship during grad school at Harvard and her postdoc at the University of California, Berkeley. Regarding the tax complications of being on fellowship and the lack of retirement benefits, Jamie and Emily outline the issues, discuss possible solutions, and su…

1
How This Grad Student Fellow Resolved an Expensive Tax Bill in His Favor 50:18

1y ago50:18

50:18

In this episode, Emily interviews Matty Dowd, a sixth-year PhD student in history at Princeton. Matty openly shares with us the tax horror story he lived for most of 2021 and into 2022. In 2018 and 2019, Matty reported his fellowship income as "other income" on his tax returns, which caused the IRS to mistakenly think that he owed self-employment t…

1
Five Ways the Tax Code Disadvantages Fellowship Income 39:22

1+ y ago39:22

39:22

In this episode, Emily details five ways the federal income tax code disadvantages fellowship income, sometimes resulting in a higher tax rate and sometimes just causing a bit of a headache for fellows. Additionally, she covers two ways that the tax code advantages fellowship income and one more difference that has both pluses and minuses. This epi…

1
Catching Up with Prior Guests: 2022 Edition 39:18

1+ y ago39:18

39:18

Emily published the first episode of this podcast in July 2018. This is the 176th episode, and over the last four and a half years, the podcast has featured 156 unique voices in addition to Emily’s. This last episode of 2022 catches up with the guests from Seasons 1 through 9. The guests were invited to submit short audio updates on how their lives…

1
This First-Year PhD Student Prioritizes Investing While on Fellowship 44:03

1+ y ago44:03

44:03

In this episode, Emily interviews Michele Remer, a first-year PhD student at Michigan State University, about her financial goals for graduate school. Michelle graduated in spring 2020 and worked a few different jobs during the pandemic, so she was able to generate some savings and open a Roth IRA prior to starting grad school. Thanks to a summer 2…

1
How to Apply Valuable Scientific Mindsets to Your Personal Finances 43:29

1+ y ago43:29

43:29

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Brock Bennion, a financial advisor with Kimball Creek Partners who draws on his scientific training when he works with clients. Brock and Emily discuss how the mindsets and principles that scientists learn can translate very well into their personal finances, everything from thinking long-term to avoiding flash…

1
From Zero Funding to Graduating Student Loan Debt-Free 42:27

1+ y ago42:27

42:27

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. José Riera, who recently finished his PhD in education from Washington State University. José's offer of admission to WSU did not include any funding, so he initially accepted some student loans and expected to accumulate a hundred thousand dollars of debt before graduation. However, through his incredible reso…

1
How This Outdoorsy Graduate Student Budgets Her Money and Time for Hobbies 44:54

1+ y ago44:54

44:54

In this episode, Emily interviews Selena Cho, a second-year graduate student at the University of Utah who receives the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Selena shares her budget breakdown, through which her values and the joy she experiences in using her money in this way shine. Selena has right-sized her housing, transportation, and food spending…

1
Telling the Scientific Story: A Conversation with Jason McSheene *15 39:50

1+ y ago39:50

39:50

In our third episode, Hellen talks with Jason McSheene, *15, a Medical Science Communications Specialist at Meditech Media. Jason earned his PhD from Princeton’s Department of Molecular Biology. While at Princeton, he created and co-hosted a podcast, “PhD in Progress” with his peers to have honest, authentic conversations about their professional p…

1
This Graduate Student Doesn't Sweat the (Financially) Small Stuff 44:54

1+ y ago44:54

44:54

In this episode, Emily interviews Keiland Cooper, a fourth year PhD student in neuroscience at the University of California, Irvine. Thanks to his inquisitive nature, Keiland has developed a financial philosophy that he has applied to his own financial management practices since his days as an undergraduate. Through focusing on the big picture, he …

1
How This Grad Student Saves Nearly 40% of Her Stipend in a High Cost of Living Area 35:10

1+ y ago35:10

35:10

In this episode, Emily interviews Janelle Coleen Dela Cueva, a rising second year graduate student in structural engineering at UCSD. Janelle breaks down her budget, including her largest four expenses and aggressive investing goals. Janelle's gross stipend is approximately $2,500 per month, and she is able to save almost 40% of it due to subsidize…

1
This PhD Student-Nurse Is Confident in Her Self-Worth 51:53

1+ y ago51:53

51:53

In this episode, Emily interviews Brenda Olmos, a nurse practitioner and rising third-year PhD student in nursing. A first-generation college student who grew up without financial stability, Brenda was debt-averse throughout college and her master's degree and started building wealth in her 20s through investing and real estate, eventually aligning…

1
PhD Home Buying Updates for 2022 36:00

1+ y ago36:00

36:00

In this episode, Emily interviews Sam Hogan, a mortgage loan officer with Movement Mortgage who specializes in graduate students and PhDs. Sam lists numerous housing markets where graduate students and postdocs are able to buy a home on a single income or two incomes and explains why the rising mortgage interest rates should not be a deterrent to b…

1
This Grad Student Advocates for Higher Stipends Using Cost of Living Data 46:53

1+ y ago46:53

46:53

In this episode, Emily interviews Alex Parry, a sixth-year graduate student at Johns Hopkins in the history of medicine. Alex is a strong advocate for increasing stipends both in his department and at Hopkins broadly and is deeply involved with the grad student unionization movement. Alex and some colleagues recently released the results of a study…

1
How Fellowship Recipients Can Prevent Large, Unexpected Tax Bills 24:49

1+ y ago24:49

24:49

In this episode, Emily details the steps that graduate students, postdocs, and postbacs who are switching onto non-employee fellowship funding should take to adequately prepare for next tax season. Fellows should set up a system of self-withholding starting with their first paycheck so they are prepared to pay their future tax bill(s). To avoid bei…

1
This Grad Student Advocates Individually and Collectively for Higher Stipends 37:05

2y ago37:05

37:05

In this episode, Emily interviews Alyssa Hayes, a rising 4th-year graduate student in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Alyssa is a first-generation college student who experienced food insecurity and other forms of financial precarity as an undergraduate. Now that she earns a stipend of approximately $45,000 per year…

1
This Grad Student's Finances and Mental Health Were Stuck in a Negative Feedback Loop 34:09

2y ago34:09

34:09

In this episode, Emily interviews Dr. Haley Sanderson, a postdoc at the University of Saskatchewan. Haley was dramatically underpaid during graduate school and discouraged from working on the side. While many of her peers lived hand to mouth, Haley's situation was made more dire by her at-the-time undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorder. H…

1
Graduate Education: A Conversation with Sarah-Jane Leslie *07 30:45

2y ago30:45

30:45

We are joined by Sarah-Jane Leslie *07, Class of 1943 Professor of Philosophy and former Dean of the Graduate School, to talk about the founding vision of GradFUTURES and to address the misconception that doctoral training is only about preparing students for academic positions in universities. “Too often doctorate education is seen as a value only…

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